Shock as KZN youth tweets: “I’ll definitely rape lesbians”

Social media has been horrified by the brazen homophobic hatred of a young Twitter user, who’s promised to rape lesbians and kill gay people.

The furore started when the hashtag #HomosLetsTalk began trending on Twitter, as South Africans spoke out about LGBTI issues.

While homophobic remarks were not uncommon, a series of tweets by Fezile D Makhathini (‏@FezileKid) stood out. He posted: “When I meet gay this year imma shoot them, fuck I hate Iy’tabane #HomosLetsTalk”

He went on to write: “If I ever bump into Lesbians fucking I’d definately rape them, fuck them till they turn straight.”

Makhathini, who is apparently a 17-year-old from Durban in KwaZulu Natal, defiantly dismissed his outraged critics.

“@FezileKid so much ignorance and hatred! Shame, get a life and leave homosexuals alone to live theirs in peace!” commented one person, while another said, “@FezileKid As the mother of a lesbian daughter, I’m deeply offended.”

His other comments included, “Fact remains, I hate gays”, and, “Fuck you all I’m 17 and entitled to hate.”

Makhathini’s horrific statements come in the wake of two LGBTI murders in the last month. On 18 December, the mutilated and burnt body of a young lesbian woman Motshidisi Pascalina was discovered in Gauteng’s Evaton North.

On 27 December, 30-year-old Phoebe Titus, a transgender woman, was knifed in the neck in broad daylight allegedly by a 15-year-old in Wolseley in the Western Cape.

The month before, the naked body of LGBTI music student Bobby Motlatla was discovered in his Potchefstroom flat. He had been stabbed 39 times.

This boy needs to be taught a “life” lesson. He is embarking on his tertiary education and possibly future employment. I hope everyone he comes into contact with on this path – be it: lecturers, mentors, future employers – are all LGBT! That will surely make him think…

Completely shocked by this too. We are doing our best to find him and to bring him to order. Opening a case for Hate Speech or even lodging a complaint against him is one way to discipline, but for a young person starting a life in the big world, there could be a million reasons why they would do such. From battling with their own hatred of themselves, projecting what has been said to them, or a way of proving that they are ‘a man’ and many more. They need an intervention and they need it now. We will find him.

I sincerely hope that South Africans take the same degree of offence to this as they have to other forms of discrimination recently. It’s hate speech at its worst and like all forms of discrimination needs to be demonised and dealt with. If at 17, he’s keen to hate and rape, we’ve got some serious thinking to do about what it is that’s causing such dreadful instincts among our children. Saddened to think that he represents the next generation in our beautiful, diverse country.

As a senior lecturer and HOD at DUT I was horrified to see that he was saying that he intended going to DUT. This has been followed up and he is nowhere on our database., thank goodness. This is not the kind of person we want at DUT and I can’t imagine that any reputable tertiary institution would want him. We are going to be using this case as a specific example in our orientation week which will hopefully encourage dialogue about the use of social media, hate speech and the rights of LGBT persons.

It’s shocking and disturbing that this sort of hatred still exists in someone so young. What’s more shocking is the feeling of entitlement to express his views without remorse or acknowledgement of the effect they could have. I’m glad DUT has picked up on this matter and is using it as a positive teaching tool- I’m a Master’s student there and have been shocked many times by the level of homophobia amongst so-called educated students.